Dynamoelectric Machines most commonly are of the so-called "radial gap" variety. In such machines, a rotor is journaled for rotation within a stator. The stator typically includes windings made up of electrical conductors that extend generally parallel to the axis of rotation of the rotor within the stator and which emerge from the ends of the stator iron. End turns connect designated ones of the conductors.
In the usual case, the conductors are located in slots in the stator and one group of the windings that is connected to another group of the windings by a given set of end turns is located radially outward from the rotational axis of the rotor relative to the other group of windings. That is, one winding group is at the top of its slot while the other is at the bottom of its slot. This allows groups of the conductors to be densely packaged within the stator slots without requiring extremely severe bends of the conductors at the end turns which may be only formed with difficulty, particularly where the conductor size is relatively large.
While these machines work extremely well for their purpose, the fact that the conductors generally parallel the axis of rotation of the rotor and the overall geometry of the machine requires the presence of the end turns, axial compactness of the dynamoelectric machine is difficult to achieve to the extent that such machines cannot be used in apparatus where a relatively short axial length is required.
It has been proposed to utilize axial gap dynamoelectric machines in such instances because of their lesser axial length. However, difficulty is experienced in extending radial gap winding geometry to axial gap machines due to space restrictions and the rigidity of winding sections. This is particularly true where radial space is limited.
The present invention is directed to overcoming one or more of the above problems.